It is almost a year since the Borno State government pledged to resettle former residents of the Guzamala Local Government Area in the Lake Chad region who have been displaced for years because of the 13-year insurgency.
But they are still waiting.
The whole of Guzamala, which covers 2,517km², was under the occupation and control of armed opposition groups for years.
Babagana Umara Zulum, the state’s governor, set up a committee in July last year to facilitate the safe resettlement of displaced citizens in the towns of Gudumbali, the headquarters of the Guzamala Local Government Area, and Mairari.
Kaka Mallum Gana, the transition committee chairman of the local government area, told RNI that the internally displaced persons (IDPs) had not been able to return to their ancestral hometowns because of the insecurity.
“The Borno State government has tried its best to resettle and return displaced persons to their various hometowns after the state shut down all official IDP camps in Maiduguri in December 2021. Many of the resettled communities in other local government areas have regained their livelihoods by resuming their businesses or starting new ones. Others are farming and fishing.
“Unfortunately, up until now, IDPs from Guzamala have not been able to return because of persistent insecurity in their hometowns.
“That’s why IDPs from Guzamala are scattered all over and they’re taking refuge in various places, including Maiduguri, Monguno, Gajiram, Gubio, Damasak and even in the Niger Republic.
“And that is also the reason the state government set up the committee to expedite the return of people to Gudumbali and Mairari. I am a member of the committee.
“After the February general elections, members of the committee, headed by Sugun Mai Mele, who is also the state commissioner for local government and emirate affairs, held four or five meetings to discuss the resettlement issue. We made a list of 1,000 households – 500 from Mairari and 500 from Gudumbali – to fast-track the resettlement processes.”
Gana said that as civilians they were not at liberty to speak about the security measures that had been taken.
“But,” he said, “soldiers and other security operatives are in the process of patrolling and conducting clearance operations in the towns of Gudumbali and Mairari. The military has promised that the people from Guzamala will be able to continue farming and other business activities when the government resettles them. Their lives and properties will be protected.”
He urged the government to consider critical infrastructures, such as schools, hospitals, sanitation facilities and boreholes, and to reopen the once-thriving market so that the residents could successfully resettle and be able to conduct sustainable livelihoods.
Baba Gana Zanna, who had fled from Guzamala to escape recurring insurgent attacks and is now living Maiduguri, told RNI that residents were ready to return to their ancestral towns.
“I am asking governor Zulum to stick to his promise of resettling us. All of us – including our local authorities, community and religious leaders, traditional rulers, traders and business operators – are eager to go home. If it was possible, we would go today. But we are concerned about our safety.”
Ba Kura Guzamala, also originally from Guzamala and now living in Maiduguri, told RNI that displaced citizens missed their “beloved hometowns”.
“We haven’t seen our towns for many years. I am begging the government to do whatever they can and, in collaboration with the military, to fast-track our safe return and resettlement. We would like to start this year’s seasonal farming activities in our own hometowns.”
SHETTIMA LAWAN MONGUNO
